Sound Board Question

[William2]

I no expert at woods. I've noticed some guitar tops that have an almost creamy appearance (not sure if this is the correct word) compared to tops that have a very noticeable grain to them. I have seen this on many Furch instruments. Are these tops sawn a different way than tops where the grain is very noticeable? Is this an example of quarter sawing? Does the way the wood used for instrument tops perform better or hold up better depending on the way it is sawn? I have to say I am kind of taken with this creamy appearance but wonder if the sound is different or just the looks.

[eded]

Could be different woods...  different species of spruce (or cedar in some cases) or different toners or finishes.   Almost all guitar tops are quarter sawn.

Ed

[B0WIE]

The finish and finishing technique will emphasize or downplay the grain.

In the raw wood, the dark lines (which we see as grain) tell us what kind of winter the tree had. Likewise, the summer rings might tell us of a rainy year, or a dry one, just based on how thick they are. Many tight rings mean a slower growing tree. Today, you'll see a lot of thick rings from trees raised fast.
The variety of spruce also comes into play.

[William2]

Thanks BOWIE. I was wondering how top woods were sawn. I guess grain tightness is maunly an appeal thing. I can't notice a sound difference between my Larrivee SD with the really tight grain 20+ year old wood and the D040R with the wider moon spruce top.

[B0WIE]

Thanks BOWIE. I was wondering how top woods were sawn. I guess grain tightness is maunly an appeal thing. I can't notice a sound difference between my Larrivee SD with the really tight grain 20+ year old wood and the D040R with the wider moon spruce top.

There's often a subtle difference. I think Jean Larrivee even commented on it once in an article. But, there's so many other factors involved that it's not something where you can look at a guitar and say, "this one's going to sound brighter".

The old wood is usually a bit stiffer but I've seen videos of guys going through premium spruce tops, flexing them, and it's wild to see how many just don't make the grade, despite looking the part.